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Christmas tree business booming

Albuquerque's Christmas tree business continues to boom, according to Christmas tree lot managers.

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Updated: 8:28 AM MST Dec 19, 2013

How's the Christmas tree business doing since there are still plenty of full lots in Albuquerque?

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Christmas tree business booming

Albuquerque's Christmas tree business continues to boom, according to Christmas tree lot managers.

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Updated: 8:28 AM MST Dec 19, 2013

Albuquerque's Christmas tree business continues to boom, according to Christmas tree lot managers.

While a lot of people have been turning to fake trees for their Christmas staple as a way to save money, sales show that more people still prefer a real tree.

Mike Maldonado has had a lot at Paseo Del Norte and Wyoming for the last 13 years. He said they had a great year in 2011, a rough year in 2012, but predicts he will sell out for 2013. As of Thursday morning, he had about 90 trees - some noble fir, others Douglas fir - ranging in price. He said a lot of people wait until last minute to buy.

"It's their tradition," he explained.

Maldonado said he would stay open through at least Monday. If he still had trees halfway through the weekend, he said he'd probably slash his prices in half to get rid of the rest.

He added that a lot of his sales had to do with location. He said in the northeast, a lot of people were looking for specific trees - about six or seven feet - and only he had them.

Across town near Winrock Mall, Delancey Street Trees were reordering some bigger trees so they wouldn't run out.

Lot managers there said that business had been a bit slow but still steady, possibly because they have a lot of regulars who go back year after year.

Delancey Street is an organization that helps rehabilitate addicts and former convicts. All of the revenue raised at their tree lot goes back into the organization, helping hundreds of people throughout New Mexico. Lot manager Shawn Day told Action 7 News they have a lot of people come to their lot just because they know they're giving back to the community when they make a purchase.

Day hoped to sell out, but said if and when he has some left over, he plans to give some trees away to families who can't afford one.

"That's what we're all about," he said.

The US Forest Service told Action 7 News that they've issued a lot of licenses to people wanting to go cut down their own tree. They could not provide a specific number or say whether the number was up or down compared to 2012.